Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1710 Mutual Distrust!

Despite the Yi Jing court's efforts to minimize the impact of the arson attack on Chu Zhiyi's home and prevent public opinion from becoming too heated, Chu Zhiyi's position as the Inspector General of Youyan was so sensitive that public opinion was still rampant, with many speculations circulating not only in the imperial court but also among the common people!
Therefore, the cabinet put a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Justice. This pressure started from Liu Ning, the Minister of Justice, and was passed down layer by layer, which ultimately prompted the Ministry of Justice to speed up the investigation. As a result, the whole case was solved in less than half a month!

Once it was discovered that Zhao Jian was responsible, the matter was practically over, and the remaining joint trial by the three judicial departments was just a formality!
The sequence of events is also very clear. Chu Zhiyi, the provincial inspector in charge of criminal matters, discovered that the Hu family, who were local residents of Yuyang, were committing all sorts of evil deeds. So, following the clues, he discovered Zhao Jian, this bastard!

Then, during the investigation and evidence collection process, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner leaked information, which alerted Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian immediately tried to bribe Chu Zhiyi, but after being rejected by Chu Zhiyi, he wanted to kill Chu Zhiyi in order to stop the investigation of the case!

The entire process is well-reasoned and based on evidence, fully in line with logic and people's understanding, and can withstand scrutiny and examination!
However, with Zhao Jian's suicide, the situation began to develop in an unpredictable direction. To get the case back on track, Zhang Mang, then Vice Minister of Justice, approached Chu Zhiyi, hoping to gain Chu's understanding and approval, thus resolving the matter peacefully and effectively.

Although still surprised by Zhao Jian's suicide, Chu Zhiyi spoke up under Zhang Mang's watchful gaze:
"Lord Zhang, I have another question: how did Zhao Jian know I was investigating him?"

Zhang Mang pondered for a moment and then said:
"The Ministry of Justice's investigation revealed that the Hu family discovered the Youyan Provincial Surveillance Commission was investigating them, so they reported this to Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian therefore concluded that you, Lord Chu, had already found him, so he sent his clerk to find you!"

Hearing Zhang Mang say this, Chu Zhiyi nodded slightly. Seeing this, Zhang Mang continued:

"Lord Chu, if you don't believe me, I can have someone send you the confession signed and sealed by Hu Fan, the head of the Hu family, so you can take a look!"

Although Chu Zhiyi did have a slight doubt in his heart, he was also very clear that if he really accepted this question, it would be tantamount to admitting that he did not trust Zhang Mang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!
Although Chu Zhiyi was upright, he did not want to offend his colleagues unnecessarily, so he immediately declined, saying:
"No need, Lord Zhang! I trust you completely!"

Hearing Chu Zhiyi say this, Zhang Mang's serious expression softened somewhat, but before he could speak, Chu Zhiyi continued:
"Lord Zhang, because we were investigating Zhao Jian before, we kept the Hu family case under wraps to avoid alerting them. Now that the matter has been exposed, we want to push forward the investigation into the Hu family case and bring these scoundrels to justice!"

"Could you perhaps support our work at the Provincial Surveillance Commission? When can you transfer Hu Fan to us so we can investigate what he's been doing in Yuyang all these years?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mang's face, which had just softened, instantly turned serious again. Despite Chu Zhiyi's nice words, such as investigating the Hu family's case and supporting the work of their Provincial Surveillance Commission!
But as the saying goes, you have to listen to the underlying meaning. The subtext behind these words is that when I said I trusted you, it was just a lie. I was only giving you face and didn't say it directly. In fact, I don't trust you at all, so I need to investigate myself!
At this moment, Zhang Mang was also somewhat annoyed. He knew very well that Chu Zhiyi was difficult to deal with, so in order to show respect, he personally came to the Provincial Surveillance Office. However, it seems that his personal visit did not move Chu Zhiyi, and Chu Zhiyi did not give him any face at all!

Thinking of this, Zhang Mang pretended to speak calmly:

"Lord Chu, as the superior authority of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, the Ministry of Justice should naturally support the work of the Provincial Surveillance Commission!"

"But as you know, this case was assigned by the Cabinet, specifically requesting our Ministry of Justice to handle it. The Hu family's case and Zhao Jian's case are closely linked, so they can be considered one case!"

“Lord Chu, since you’ve spoken up, I, Zhang Mang, personally would very much like to help you investigate the matter thoroughly. However, you also know that this matter was assigned by the Cabinet, and I, Zhang Mang, am merely an investigator; my word doesn’t count!”

"So if you want to interrogate Hu Fan, you have to write a memorial to the cabinet. Only if the cabinet approves it can I hand him over to you. If I hand him over to you privately, and others find out, that's against the rules..."

Chu Zhiyi looked at Zhang Mang's sincere face and wanted to throw the tea in his cup directly in his face, but he had to hold back for the moment, since strictly speaking, what Zhang Mang said was not wrong.

The problem is that the interpretation of this matter rests with Zhang Mang. If Zhang Mang says it's one case, then it's one case; if Zhang Mang says it's two cases, then it's two cases.

Zhang Mang insisted on using the rules to block him, and he had no choice but to do as Zhang Mang suggested and apply to the cabinet, but the outcome of the application was uncertain!

In Chu Zhiyi's view, the current Minister of Revenue, Cui Shao, disliked him greatly. Even his mentor, the Minister of Personnel, Gu Sansi, had become somewhat estranged from him after what had happened before.
These two are arguably the most influential people in the cabinet. If they reach an agreement, other cabinet members would have to think twice before objecting!

So even if I submit a memorial to the cabinet, the most likely outcome will be that the memorial will be rejected!

Just as Chu Zhiyi was pondering this in secret, Zhang Mang continued to ask:
"Lord Chu, do you have any further questions about this case?"

Although he still had questions in his mind, Chu Zhiyi knew he wouldn't get anything out of Zhang Mang, so he shook his head.

Seeing Chu Zhiyi's humiliation, Zhang Mang felt secretly delighted, but on the surface he still spoke earnestly:

"Since you have no further questions, Lord Chu, I will now submit the detailed account of the case to our internal department for further processing!"

Seeing Zhang Mang still rambling on, Chu Zhiyi, though displeased, could only patiently say:

"it is good!"

Zhang Mang rambled on for a couple more minutes before finally leaving the Provincial Surveillance Office, satisfied...
After Zhang Mang left, a frustrated Chu Zhiyi picked up the water cup on the table, wanting to smash it. However, remembering that the teacup was made in the imperial kiln and cost one tael of silver each, and that smashing it would mean having to buy another one, Chu Zhiyi reluctantly put the teacup back in order not to waste the government's money.

At the same time, Chu Zhiyi also had an idea: to write a memorial and submit it to His Majesty, explaining the pros and cons of the matter to His Majesty. Once he obtained His Majesty's permission, even if Zhang Mang and the cabinet still wanted to obstruct him, they would be powerless and would have no choice but to hand over the person to him for investigation!

Thinking about this, Chu Zhiyi was somewhat tempted, but after careful consideration, he also had some concerns!

Chu Zhiyi had been in the G field for many years, and he knew very well that reporting to higher levels was a major taboo in the G field!
If I were to actually do that, regardless of whether His Majesty would allow it or not, I would have offended all the members of the cabinet!
In the past, Chu Zhiyi really wouldn't have cared much. In his view, as long as he was fine, he would be invincible and wouldn't need to give face to anyone or pay attention to anyone's greetings!
However, after this arson incident, Chu Zhiyi's thoughts changed somewhat!
When disaster struck, the sight of his wife, mother, and children trembling in fear deeply pierced Chu Zhiyi's heart. This made Chu Zhiyi reflect on whether his actions had put his loved ones in danger.

After this incident, Chu Zhiyi's wife and mother also spoke with him. Although Chu Zhiyi was helpless, he promised his wife and mother that he would restrain his sharpness in the future and not easily make enemies in the arena. If he were to write a memorial to His Majesty to request the interrogation of Hu Fan, it would undoubtedly be to make an enemy of the cabinet!

Thinking about this, Chu Zhiyi became increasingly conflicted!
After careful consideration, Chu Zhiyi finally sighed and gave up the idea.

The reason for choosing to give up is not just because Chu Zhiyi did not want to break his promise to his mother and wife!

At the same time, there was another very important reason, which was that Chu Zhiyi felt that he did not have much convincing evidence in his memorial to His Majesty!

Having already reached a conclusion with the Ministry of Justice, he still wanted to interrogate Hu Fan. However, the report he submitted to His Majesty could not possibly be presented under the pretext of investigating the Hu family case, as he had just told Zhang Mang.

His Majesty is not so easily fooled!

His Majesty will surely see that behind my memorial lies a lack of trust in the Ministry of Justice and even the Cabinet, which is why His Majesty will ask me for the reason!
But right now, he doesn't have a single justifiable reason to support his claim!

He couldn't very well tell His Majesty that Cui Shao disliked him and that he had broken up with Gu Sansi, could he?

Without a reasonable reason, His Majesty would find it difficult to refute the cabinet on his behalf. In this way, not only would he fail to achieve his goal, but he would also offend everyone in the cabinet for no reason, which would be a great loss!
Thinking of this, Chu Zhiyi felt helpless, but he also knew that this path was blocked. If he still wanted to investigate, he would probably have to find another way!

Just as Chu Zhiyi was feeling utterly helpless, Zhang Mang returned to the yamen. As soon as he entered his cell, his personal clerk, Song Yang, handed him an invitation, saying:

"Sir, someone has invited you to Xin Kang Ji restaurant tonight for a chat..."

Zhang Mang opened the invitation and read its contents. It was a long and rambling letter, written in a very humble tone. But in Zhang Mang's view, the most important meaning of the invitation was the name at the very end—Ye Zaiyuan!

Looking at that familiar name, Zhang Mang fell into deep thought. Seeing him like this, Song Yang couldn't help but try to figure out what Zhang Mang was thinking and then tentatively said:

"Sir! Should I turn him down? Just say you're not feeling well today?"

Zhang Mang was somewhat tempted upon hearing this, and after a moment's thought, he nodded. Although his nod was barely perceptible, Song Yang, who was in charge of the clerk, noticed it and immediately prepared to leave to do as Zhang Mang instructed.

However, before Song Yang could even leave the cell, Zhang Mang's voice came from behind him again.

"Never mind, it won't hurt to meet him!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Mang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had finished his work at 3:45 PM, also left the Ministry of Justice and boarded a carriage to Xin Kang Ji.

Although it was already late afternoon, the area in front of Xin Kang Ji, one of the eight major buildings in Yijing, was still bustling with traffic. However, Zhang Mang, dressed in casual clothes, did not get out of the car at the main entrance of Xin Kang Ji, but instead entered through a side entrance.

Xin Kang Ji, one of the eight most prestigious restaurants in Yi Jing, is a high-end establishment. Those who dine and host banquets there are mostly wealthy and influential, or at least from the middle class. These people are quite worldly, so even though Zhang Mang was dressed casually, he would be easily recognized if he showed his face…
Although dining at Xin Kang Ji wasn't taboo—Cui Shao, Gu Sansi, and others had all dined there before, and Zhang Mang's regular salary plus performance bonuses were enough to support his frequent visits to high-end establishments like Xin Kang Ji—he still hoped to keep a low profile this time, especially since the person he was meeting was Ye Zaiyuan.

After Zhang Mang entered Xin Kang Ji through the side door, a servant immediately came to greet him and led him to a private room on the second floor of Xin Kang Ji.

At this moment, a refined-looking middle-aged man was waiting for Zhang Mang's arrival. This man was Ye Zaiyuan, a member of the Ye clan who had invited Zhang Mang to Xinkangji for a chat.

Upon seeing Zhang Mang enter the private room, Ye Zaiyuan immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile:
"Lord Zhang, you've arrived!"

"Brother Ye, have you been waiting anxiously? I had some urgent business at the yamen today, so I worked overtime!"

"It's alright, it's alright, I just arrived! Sir, your official duties are important."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two took their seats as host and guest. Ye Zaiyuan then instructed the maids to serve the dishes, and soon these delicious dishes were brought to the table. Zhang Mang immediately recognized that all the dishes were his favorites, and a cold smile crept into his heart, but on the surface, he still smiled and said:

"Brother Ye, you've really gone to great lengths today!"

"Lord Zhang, it is an honor for me, Ye Zaiyuan, to have you grace us with your presence at this banquet today. These dishes are nothing to me; I offer you this toast!"

After saying this, Ye Zaiyuan, with a sincere expression, also drank the entire cup of wine in one gulp as a sign of respect.

Seeing the other party's humble attitude today, Zhang Meng sneered inwardly, but outwardly continued speaking:
"Brother Ye, you flatter me. You are a member of the Ye clan, of imperial lineage. It is my honor to be able to partake in your banquet..."